Uncle Bacala's — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

update the manager/owners snooty response is exactley why we wont be back. The resturant messed up. They got busy and couldnt handle it. Own up to the problem instead of making excuses. We had to ask for water for our child, not once, not twice but three times. We stood up and found someone. You can keep your gift card, we didnt want anything from you but an apology. Instead you made it seem offering a gift card was you doing us a favor. Please.

This should have been "hey im sorry. I reviewed the cameras, you were waiting a long time. Our kitchen got busy and we messed up. Let me know next time you come in".

Instead its "I looked at the cameras, at 5:01 you did xyz, you ordered this. You stood up at 5:03. Yeah we were busy but I gave you $25".

My family has been coming here for years to celebrate special occasions, or the "hey its been a while since we've seen each other...lets grab dinner" meals. The food has always been good the service as well.

This long-standing positive review is changed to 1 star after a recent experience - our first negative that we felt could have been handled better by management.

We had a reservation, were seated and watched as tables seated after us were brought their food before us. After ordering we had been waiting 40+ minutes, one of the tables who arrived after us was leaving.

We asked a few times where our food was, nothing. Eventually we asked the manager and our food showed up after.

Our requests for more water or anything else were often forgotten. We had to ask for the same thing multiple times.

Our party of 9 was handed a $25 gift certificate (one) for the wait. We left with a bad experience so we reached out via email just to share what happened. Leaving a negative review hadn't crossed our mind.

Expecting nothing, the manager called simply saying "we were busy what did you want". He said he reviewed the cameras, confirmed we were waiting a long time, could see the other tables were served before us....and asked what we wanted. We literally said nothing, he snarkley offered a $50 gift certificate...we declined. He then pushed the call to someone else to send us the $50...we again said no we dont want it.

All we wanted was acknowledgement that we shouldnt have been waiting so long and they messed up. Instead they defended their "performance" (i 100% get them being busy, but why were multiple other tables who sat after us served??)

Its sad that management turned us off. We will be...

7/22/25

My spouse and I revisited and I asked the hostess Alexandra to tell the owner Peter we had taken up his offer to revisit the restaurant. He had provided $50.00 coupons for the meal which was kind of him which cannot be used on daily specials of lunch or dinner but on the main menu which was fine. essentially the meal was free! Albeit the restaurant is noisy but it's the nature of the restaurant and clientele. I spoke with the owner Peter who commiserated with me that sometimes things are beyond his control be it a tough piece of veal or slowness of getting food out of the kitchen.

I had many years ago enjoyed chicken scapparella (meaning on the bone) at the old Carolina restaurant on Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island, and subsequently at Collaros Restaurant on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn New York.

When the dish was presented to me yesterday I thought at first it was the wrong dish; until I tasted it! Boy was I wrong it was tender juicy, on point totally worth every cent! It had both dark and white meat as well as vegetables.

Move over other restaurants Uncle Bacula is going to eat you all up! Our server was quick, efficient and brought our food out promptly. Our meal was excellent!

The only other restaurant that was so accommodating was Anthony's Lucky Duck(it never served duck) but he made special days for each style meal and after eating there so many times patrons would get free meals up to a certain dollar amount.

The restaurant has valet parking.

Our prior party review. It’s large but very noisy! You can’t hear yourself think. Several of our party had fried chicken cutlets with a sufficient menu but much cheaper during the week with specials. We were seated promptly, and settings were done foods were strictly southern Italian. I had fried calamari which was done perfectly. Several of our party got chicken bruschetta which looked excellent, chicken franchise and I got veal cutlet parmesan (which was delivered Lukewarm! I called the waiter over and my dish was redone and was excellent. The lunch specials seem reasonable and cheaper than dinner.

Dinner had to be over $300.00 as each dish was $30.00 and we are a party of seven. The restaurant adds a 20% tip to parties over four. During the week the specials include an appetizer, entrée and one dessert for $20.25 plus tax. A...

Who can forget Uncle Leo, Uncle Fester, Uncle Junior, and Uncle Jesse? If you have, there is no doubt there is one Uncle you will not forget - Uncle Bacala's! The cozy, festive ambiance, good food, and outstanding service, makes Uncle Bacala's the perfect example of what constitutes a great and memorable restaurant, just like your favorite Uncle. Peter, the delightful owner, and the consummate host, has a panache for sharing insights about social media. His voluptuousness of taste in menu offerings adds to his many talents. The food is incredibly delicious and offers guests excellent value for their money, considering the high-quality foods and ample portions. The staff is attentive, friendly, and gracious. Add another star if your server is Keith! We opted for the price fixed 3-course dinner. Our first course choices included Mozzarella en Carrozza, a decadent fried country bread filled with melted mozzarella delicately placed upon their robust marinara sauce. I enjoyed a tasty bowl of Stracciatella Soup that had a delicate balance of flavorful broth, spinach, and egg. A rich and creamy polenta accompanied our classic main dish of Brasato al Barolo (Moist braised short-ribs and sliced mushrooms served in a luscious Barolo wine reduction sauce). I savored my Salmone en Agrodolce (lightly breaded, placed on top of roasted eggplant rounds with a perfectly spiced sherry vinegar, honey, and sweet garlic tomato sauce. Indeed we selected two excellent comfort food choices and even went home with a doggy bag. Clearly, the chef here is well versed in the artful preparation and presentation of food, or maybe he texts his favorite Uncle for authentic Italian family recipes. Either way, you will enjoy a superb meal, full of flavor. For dessert, we opted for their delicious New York Style Cheesecake and Chocolate Ice Cream. And if you thought that was the last mouthful, think again. To conclude your meal here, your server will present you with a huge, round, airy puff of cotton candy sure to bring to mind wonderful childhood memories....